Mesulame Rakuro

Mesulame Rakuro (12 May 1932 – 13 June 1969) was a Fijian athlete specialising in the discus throw and shot put.

Biography Born in Nailaga, Ba Province, the first time the country had participated in the Olympics. He qualified for the final round, in which he finished fifteenth. He subsequently represented Fiji at the Independence Games in Malaya the following year, and was again selected for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games of 1958, where he finished fifth. The record stood for 61 years until being broken by Mustafa Fall in 2019.

Rakuro competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, but failed to progress beyond the qualifying round. However, he went on to win gold in both the discus and shot put in the 1963 South Pacific Games. He retained his gold in the discus in the 1966 edition.

Rakuro was Fiji's first Olympic flag bearer. He carried the flag of Fiji in the opening ceremonies of both the 1956 and 1960 Summer Games.

Rakuro died at his home in the Drasa Training Farm in June 1969. He was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.